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Scott Nydam Interview

Interviews

02/20/2009|0 commentsby Georges Luechinger. Thomas Valentinsen contributed to this i

Scott Nydam (Team BMC). Photo copyright AbbiOrca.com

Scott Nydam Interview

Two days after suffering what Team BMC Directeur Sportif John Lelangue called the scariest crash he had ever seen, Team BMC's Scott Nydam is determined not to let this setback impact his season negatively.

Two days after suffering what Team BMC Directeur Sportif John Lelangue called the scariest crash he had ever seen, Team BMC's Scott Nydam is determined not to let this setback impact his season negatively.

Though Nydam did suffer a concussion so bad that he had to be woken up every two hours on the night after the crash to be checked by doctors, Nydam himself feels that he should be able to return to training quickly - once he has his fractured collarbone attended to in the next few days.

GL: You were performing well in the 2009 Tour of California, but then you ran out of luck. Explain to the Roadcycling.com readers how the crash happened.

SN: "I was routinely going back to the car to drop off the jackets like I have done hundreds of times before, and I remember I had to pass a jacket from my left hand to my right, and in the process, the sleeve or something grabbed my break lever making my bars do a 180 degree rotation. I remember having a split second of panic that I was going down, but then the next thing I knew I was waking up in the ambulance listening to John Lelangue's voice. It's so bizarre since I had made it safely through all those terribly rainy days and we had even just come down a really treacherous descent that I had no trouble on, and then this happened. It just goes to show you."

GL: Did the crash result in any major injuries?

SN: "I broke my collarbone right at the end of the titanium plate that was put in it last time I broke it at the Tour of Utah. We will need to fix that, probably by taking out and replacing the old plate. Dr. Heiden who performed the surgery last time is on vacation, but currently flying home to Salt Lake City, so I can either fly out there to have the surgery done Friday by Dr. Heiden, or I can use a doctor in Santa Rosa who Dr. Heiden highly recommends. In either case, it should be no problem and I should be on the bike again very quickly."

GL: How will this impact your early season plans?

SN: "If I get this fixed tomorrow, then by early next week I should be able to ride on the road again. I need to let my body recuperate, not only from the race, but also the surgery. But since I'm not racing to the end of the Tour of California, at least that is giving me a head start and hopefully I won't miss a beat of my training regime. My racing schedule picks up again at the end of March for Redlands and then hopefully European racing in April. Being on this team gives me so many amazing opportunities. I want to be fit enough to be on the Tour of Romandie team. That is a race a lot of guys would love to be able to do, so I am determined to